1. Are the points A and B of the start zone marked on the game field?

Ans. No, these points are not physically marked on the game field. These points just represent that the teams will be asked to start on the line from any point between these two points.

2. What is the color of the obstacles?

Ans. It is white.

3. Is it necessary to do line tracking?

Ans. You may use any technique as far as navigation is concerned unless it contradicts with the points given in theme and rules.

4. Can Remote Control be used to control the robot?

Ans. No. The robot must be autonomous. If a team is caught using remote control it will be disqualified.

5. Are the obstacles fixed (glued) to the ground or just placed? Can it be dropped?

Ans. Obstacles are just placed. Dropping them will cost you points.

6. I am a 3rd year student, do I have to be member of a society to participate?

Ans. No, you do not have to be member of ant society to participate in the competition.

7. Will there be lights on in the hall where the competition will be held or will the competition be held in a dark room?

Ans. The lights will be 'ON' in the hall where the contest will be held. It will not be a dark room.

8. I am student of a University so do I need any kind of letter from university for participating in competition?

Ans. You do not need to get a letter from your university but you must have a proof on the competition day that you are a registered student of an Institution/University.

9. The robot size described in Theme & Rules is 1200 sq. cm and height of 65 cm. I have a robot having size & height less than the given limits. Is it acceptable?

Ans. Yes, your robot size can be less than the given limits but it should not exceed the given limits. Your robot is acceptable.

10. Are the lines made up of (a) Pure white tape (as we see for insulating electrical connections) (b) Reflecting metallic tape?

Ans. The line is made of white reflecting tape (the kind used in cars)

11. Is the color of floor mat light or dark? Can we find a visible contrast between line color and mat color and what is the material of that mat?

Ans. The color of the field is same as shown in the floor-plan. You can also see the real color in the images section of the website. There is a visible contrast between the tape and the field. The field is made of 1.5mm thick blue mat (similar to vinyl sheet) often used in the flooring of Hiace Vans.

12. Can two students of different universities make a single team?

Ans. Yes, but in case students from different universities are members of the same team and the team wins a prize, it will go to only one university. You will have to decide that when you register.

13. The robot will be placed on line AB in the start, from there onwards, is it must to enter the arena while traveling on the same line or we can then turn and enter from another point?

Ans. The robot 'must' enter the arena from point B. So it must travel along the line AB and enter the arena from that point.

14. What is the definition of the base area?

Ans. The definition of base area is the area of shadow the robot casts when light is thrown from above.

15. Can the base area and height change after the start of robot so that they might become greater than the stated limit?

Ans. Base area may increase but the height CANNOT exceed 65 cm at any point.

16. Can the robot split into two parts after startup, the other part might just be kind of a guide?

Ans. No, the robot cannot split into two parts.

17. Can the robot move diagonally after entering from point B or it has to follow the white line?

Ans. Yes, the robot can move diagonally it does not have to necessarily follow the line after point B.

18. What is the weight of the goal post?

Ans. The goal post is made of steel. Its weight is approx 2.5 kg.

19. Can we use multiple type of sensors in the Robot?

Ans. Yes you can use multiple type of sensors on your robots.

20. How many Sensors can be used on the Robot?

Ans. There is no limit to the number of sensors.

21. What can be the maximum size of the potting mechanism?

Ans. There is no limit on the maximum size of the potting mechanism as long as it stays within the size limits of the Robot as defined in the Theme and Rules.

22. After potting all the balls does the robot have to come to the starting position?

Ans. No, the Robot does not have to come to the start position. It may stay where ever it is.

23. Can we replace batteries when we retry/reload?

Ans. Yes, batteries may be replaced at Retry.

24. Many varieties of van mats are available in the market. Will the mat you would be using be textured or smooth? Will it be fibrous (like carpet) or made of rubber?

Ans. The mat has a little bit texture (it is almost smooth). There are no fibers, it is like rubber. The original mat may be observed in the photo gallery section of our website.

25. How many members will be allowed to reload the machine?

Ans. 02 members will be allowed during reload/retry.

26. Who will place the machine initially at line AB? You or us? Will we be allowed to place it in any direction we desire?

Ans. The team members will place the machine. Yes you may place it in any direction but the robot must enter the arena from point B through line AB.

27. At retry should the balls again be brought back to 25 cm?

Ans. It is optional. If you want you can bring back to original height.

28. Is the ball stand glued to the arena?

Ans. No, the ball stand is NOT glued to the arena, it is just placed over it.

29. Is the goal-post glued or just placed on the mat?

Ans. The goal-post is placed on the mat.

30. I am using extensions on by robot, can I put wheels under the extensions to stabilize them?

Ans. NO you cannot use wheels to stabilize your extension. The only wheels on the robot touching the floor should be the wheels of the robot base.

31. What is the approximate weight of each tennis ball to be potted?

Ans. The approx weight is 60-120 grams.

32. What is the depth of the basket? What is its height from the ground?

Ans. The net of the goal-post is about 4" from the ground; since it is flexible there is not an exact dimension. The real picture of the goal-post is given in the floor-plan.

33. Can we use rods or anything similar to support our extension mechanism in our robot?

Ans. You CANNOT use support of ANY kind in your extension mechanisms. The only things that can touch the surface of arena are the wheels of your robot.

34. Can the balls (including the base which is carrying it) be raised while the robot is moving / traveling from one post to another?

Ans. Yes, they may be raised.

35. Can we raise more than one ball at a time to a height greater than 25cm?

Ans. Yes.

36. Can external materials, such as, solenoid, steel plate, etc. be used with LEGO robots?

Ans. As the rules indicate that 30% of the Lego robot must be indigenous so the indigenous parts you mentioned may be used as long as the robot complies with the rules.

 
37. What happens if a robot displaces an obstacle?

Ans. A robot can touch an obstacle for sensing purpose, but a visible displacement would cost a penalty of 5 points.

 
38. Can a team call for STOP during a match?

Ans. No. A team CANNOT call for stop, it can only call for retry e.g. if your robot can only pot balls in one goal post you must program it so that it stops after potting balls into that goal post and does not wanders in the arena. If the referee sees that your robot has been motionless for a considerable amount of time he may allow you to switch off your robot and end the game. After calling a retry you may say that you do not want to try again. But this would have cost you a retry penalty. So the wise thing to do is to programs your robot so that it stops after finishing the task in other words you must program the robot for END OF MISSION.

39. What will be the conditions on the game field?

Ans. General indoor conditions will prevail with lights on. Curtains would be down but we cannot guarantee that they will remain closed all the time. It is advisable that you cover your sensors properly to deny external influence.

 
40. How many external parts can be used in Lego Robots?

Ans. You can use 30% external parts.

 
41. What are the timing criteria?

Ans. Time will be noted when you pot a ball/s in a particular run. Overall time will be the time of potting the last ball in a run. Best score and time (in that order) will be taken for evaluation.
 
42. How are penalties subtracted from score?

Ans. Penalties will accumulate and will be subtracted from the best score

 

43. If a potting outlet/ extension used for ball potting has two divisions, will it be considered as one outlet or two?

Ans. Any division from which balls are coming out will be counted as a potting outlet. A robot can have maximum of 2 potting outlets. This means that either one outlet could be used for potting into higher as well as smaller baskets or one for higher and one for smaller baskets.

 

44. The rules state that the maximum number of outlets allowed is 2 and one outlet could be used for higher and one for smaller baskets. So if I am using two outlets then is it compulsory that I use one outlet for potting in to higher basket and the other for potting into smaller baskets or can I use 2 outlets for potting into smaller baskets only?

Ans. No, it is not compulsory to use one outlet for potting into higher basket and the other for potting into lower (smaller) baskets. Maximum of two outlets are allowed and these can be used for potting balls into any basket (higher or lower). PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT MORE THAN 2 OUTLETS ARE NOT PERMITTED IN ANY CASE. If any robot uses more than 2 outlets it will be disqualified.  

 

45. Can we use a Camera in our robot and do image processing? If yes then can we use a Pentium 4 processor for that purpose?

Ans. Yes, you can use camera and do image processing. You can use PC/Laptop but use of live AC power is not allowed because robot has to be autonomous. If you are using PC or Laptop it should be on the robot. No external connections with the surroundings are allowed. All power resources should be on board. Keep in mind also that the maximum power supply rating is 48V. So the power must not exceed the limits.

 

46. Can we use laser to recognize the goal post?

47. Can we use solenoid to push a ball as projectile to the highest goal post?

Ans. Yes, you can use any actuator you want.

 

48. It is stated in the rules that maximum power should be 48V. I wanted to know that whether the sum of all the motors should be 48V or the total power consumed at a particular point should be or less than 48V. If I use 5 batteries of 12v each, will it be ok?

49. It is stated in the rules that extension must not touch the ground. If a part of base originally touching the ground extends after going in the arena. This part of base is not being used to pot or throw balls instead it will be used in line tracking.  Is it acceptable?

 

 

53. Is it compulsory for the robot to be completely inside the zone of a particular goal post while potting ball into it or some part of the robot could be outside the zone?

Ans. It is compulsory that the projection of all of the wheels of the robot be inside the zone completely. If some extension or some part of the base or any decoration etc. is outside, it is still ok BUT these conditions will be acceptable IF AND ONLY IF all wheels remain completely inside the zone before potting the ball.

 

54. I have participated in the NERC 2007 and I wanted to point out that last time it was very difficult to adjust everything in the 1200cm2 area limit. This time another mechanism (for picking) is also to be designed so the area limit should be more than 1200cm2

Ans. The senior members of the NERC organizing Committee have considered your point and found it valid. The area limit has been modified. Now the robot can be of 1300cm2 area but it must fit inside a box of 60X60 cm area. Please read theme&rules section of the website for details

 

55. I am participating in NERC. I need some help in designing the motor drive circuitry. Where can I get that?

Ans. You can contact Mr Owais Zuberi for help in drive circuitry of motors. His contact number is 03005310586

 

56. The distance of Ball Stand measured from the junction below it is 30cm according to the floorplan. Is this distance measured from the edge of the horizontal white line of the junction or from its center?

Ans. The distance given in the floorplan is from the edge of the horizontal white line.

 

57. There are total 9 balls in the ball stand. But we are picking only 4 balls. Can we place only 4 balls in the ball stand during the match instead of 9?

Ans. No, You can not just place 4 balls in the ball stand. All the nine balls will be placed in the ball stand during the match.